The findings of a study issued in "Archives of Dermatological Research" revealed the efficacy and safety of 1% Tapinarof cream in ameliorating psoriasis in adults. Tapinarof, an inhibitor of the aromatic hydrocarbon receptor, shows promise in treating adult psoriasis. With Phase III clinical trials completed, understanding its position among other psoriasis medications is crucial for clinical application. Therefore, this study sought to explore the efficacy and safety of 1% Tapinarof cream for psoriasis management.

Networks were established to compare 1% Tapinarof cream with positive (Calcipotriol) and negative (placebo) controls.  A network meta-analysis, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) 2015 guidelines, utilized relevant randomized clinical trials (RCTs) from National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Cochrane Library, and PubMed. Data analysis employed the gemtc package in R software (RStudio) to examine Tapinarof cream's usefulness in adult psoriasis.

Across 8 clinical studies encompassing 2408 patients for 1% Tapinarof cream and 14 studies with 6874 patients for Calcipotriol, findings indicated that 1% Tapinarof cream outperformed placebo and Calcipotriol at 4, 8, and 12 weeks. However, adverse events were more frequent with Tapinarof cream compared to placebo and Calcipotriol, although no serious systemic adverse events were reported.